The Pheonix
by Hobbit
Summary: Can a trainer with nothing rise to the top? One Fentian young woman is about to try to do just that while she's on her journey to find her real family. Chapter 4 up!
1. The Land of the Midnight Sun

Alora Anophis yawned, and looked up at the sky. Life was good. She was sixteen, and was about to set out on her own. Alora smiled tightly and closed her eyes. Things could hardly be better for her. The cold, salty breeze washed over her and she drank it in greedily.

She had always loved the sea, and now that she had no home, little money, and the clothes on her back, she enjoyed the little things, while letting the major things take care of themselves. After all, she had an appointment with that Pokémon Prof that was visiting from Alto or Johto or wherever. She was going to get a Pokémon license and a Pokémon, and that would be the end of her worries.

Alora sat up, and stared out at the ocean. She had come to this fjord many times before, but she had never come here without a problem. This had been her get-away, when her parents were too much, when her boyfriends were being too pushy, or life in general was getting her down.

The old saying that even a Fentis summer would shine no heat was bang on the money. Being so close to the planet's northern pole, the frigid country of Fentis rarely got warm. In fact, heat waves usually got as high as fifty degrees.

Which was pretty much how Alora felt the entire country and her entire life were, too. She didn't know where she had come from, only that she had been the sole survivor of a shipwreck off the country. She had been sent to a foster family, but they didn't get along at all. She didn't like to think about the time she had spent with them. The past was the past.

Alora brushed one of her stray, auburn hairs out of her face, and adjusted her gloves as the sun dipped down towards the horizon. She sighed. Just a few minutes and the sun would be rising again on the opposite horizon. It was something that she had accepted, but could never get used to.

It was as unnatural as the months-long darkness.

Alora got to her feet, feeling the snow crunch underneath her feet. It wouldn't be long before she traveled this ice cube the width and breadth, which wouldn't take too long, and defeat both Gym Leaders. Then she'd take her chances somewhere else. Somewhere warmer.

Alora watched the sun set slowly, smiling to herself. It was a beautiful ending to a wonderful day. She turned around and headed back towards town. No one would miss her, but she didn't want to be late for her meeting with the Pokémon Prof.

Professor Peat was passing through, waiting for a ride from Manny Quinn, the local Pokémon Musher. Apparently Peat had been out studying Moyferar and had gotten lost. Someone had picked her up and brought her to town. Now she needed a ride back to the lab that she had been using here in Fentis.

She had agreed to meet with Alora when her parents gave her a Pokémon. It would be an honor to meet a real live Pokémon Prof. Then she'd break out of this icicle stand and go find her real parents. The Fosters were nice people, but lately she wasn't able to stand them. Alora wasn't really sure why, though.

Telchakka was a small town, even by Fentis standards, and wasn't much of a notability except it was supposedly the starting point for the Fentis "League." If you could call it that. Two gyms separated by a freezing desert. With Telchakka smack dab in the center, which was the only reason why it was the "League" capital.

Alora grinned as she spotted a pair of Arcanine shivering next to a building. Well, not so much shivering as desperately trying to get their flames to phoenix up from their ember-like selves. Foreigners always brought Fire types to Fentis, but she wasn't exactly sure why. Ostensibly it was to keep the trainers warm, but what trainers didn't realize was that if fire type Pokémon weren't used to this level of cold, the Fire Pokémon themselves could freeze to death.

Of course, Alora and the other Fentians had grown up in it, so they were used to it, and were fine—as long as they wore adequate clothing. Alora shook her head and motioned to the Arcanine. "Get over here!" She called out, heading for the Livery Stable.

Jake Livery, the owner, had built the stable for people to have a place to put their non-Ice type Pokémon so they wouldn't freeze, assuming that they couldn't be in the Pokémon Center, hotel, or staying with someone local. This made it very popular with foreign trainers. And considering that Fentis was one of the rarest leagues beaten, probably owing to the devilish temperatures, Telchakka got a lot of visitors. Of course, very few of them stayed in the country over more than a few days.

Alora threw open the tall, wide doors, and gestured for the Arcanine to enter. Alora grimaced as the warm air rushed out, and quickly closed the doors behind the grateful Fire-type Pokémon. In a minute the trainer would be running outside, screaming that someone had stolen his Pokémon. It would take another few minutes for someone to explain to him that they would have been brought to the stables.

Alora smiled as she glanced around town. Everything was brand spanking new, or so it seemed. Brick was the building option of choice, and the entire town, if you could call it that, was coated in a light sprinkling of snow.

Barking caught Alora's attention, and she glanced over her shoulder to see the mail man pulling into town, pulled by his faithful Moyferar. Manny Quinn was a decent enough guy, if a bit annoyed by all the jokes poked at his name, and was well known all over Fentis, since he was pretty much the only delivery person in the country.

Engines froze, Wheels stuck in ice, but he and his faithful team of snow-white Pokémon had never missed a delivery. While other delivery people tried to offer the same service, you just couldn't beat Manny's price—a hot meal and somewhere for him and his team of Canines to sleep for the night.

Manny was an unusual guy. He had once been the head honcho at Silph Company or something, but he had retired early in life, saying that he was fed up with paper work, and wanted a simple life. Something outdoors. Well, he had one now. Wherever he went he was welcomed, and whatever he did, he never paid for—nobody had the heart to charge him.

He was the nicest man anyone had ever met. He always tried to help people if he could, and it tore him up when he couldn't. He always made his deliveries on time, and ninety percent of the time he was early. He had no permanent home, and the only family that he had—at least that anyone knew of—were his dogs. He had all kinds of interesting stories from the world over, back when he was a professional trainer, before he had retired to head up whatever company it had been that he had been CEO of.

No matter who he was talking to, he could always relate to them. He had been almost everywhere and had done almost everything. If someone new was in town and wanted to know what to do in Fentis, people always pointed them in Manny's direction.

He never made a pass at any of the women, and as far as anyone knew, he was single—but not for lack of women trying to woo him.

Alora grinned as Manny pulled up to a stop in front of him. There was a group of women who had come together to try to get Manny to marry them, but they were having little luck. "How're the roads out there?" Alora asked him, kneeling to pet one of his Moyferar.

The dog turned its head and tried to lick her face, and Lorelei buried her gloved hands into its thick, white fur. Manny pulled off his goggles and pulled his scarf down from over his face, letting his graying beard to pop loose. "They're pretty good. A bit icy a few miles down, but that doesn't last for long." He got off of the supports he had been standing on behind the sled and secured his anchor on a concrete pillar that had been made especially for him.

Alora nodded. "Great. 'Cause I'm getting my license today." Manny frowned, and Alora braced herself. "don't ask about my foster parents," she muttered darkly. "They don't know that I emancipated myself yet."

Manny nodded. "Ah," he said simply, and left it at that. She and Manny had become rather good friends over the years, despite the nearly forty year age difference. It had started when she had wanted to pet his Moyferar, but her "parents" hadn't wanted to. They had actually—Alora shook her head, pushing the fosters out of her mind. "Would you mind taking care of the dogs, Alora?" he asked, leaning over his sled and starting to undo the webbing he always placed over the baggage area. "I've got to get a couple Grass-type Pokémon to some Pokémon Prof before they freeze completely."

Alora brightened. "I was on my way to see her when I ran into you!" she said. "I can take them to her right away!"

Manny grinned, and started pulling back the thick tarps that were underneath the webbing, shaking them to free them of ice, revealing his cargo underneath. "Well now, that sounds mighty fine to me. Just bring her by Lou's afterwards. I've always wanted to meet a Pokémon Prof." He turned around and handed her two large boxes, one stacked on top of the other. They were heavy. "The little suckers have got a portable heat lamp in each one, but outside even the heaters won't last long."

Alora grinned. "Don't worry about me," she said, turning to head for her encounter with the Prof. She shooke her head and grinned. "Man, what a great sunrise!" she exclaimed, taking in the grandeur of the the late-night sunrise, then glanced over her shoulder to see the last of the sun slip beneath the horizon. Alora shook her head, then hurried towards the Pokémon Center, where the Pokémon Prof was waiting for her and the Pokémon.

No matter how many times she saw it, seeing the sunset and sunrise at the same time was just incredibly fun. Vaguely, she reminded herself to go to bed after seeing the Prof. After all, it WAS midnight.

Alora hurried though the door to the Pokémon Center and hurriedly shut it behind her with her foot. "Pokémon Delivery for Professor Peat," She called out, startling Nurse Jane out of her sleepy stupor.

"Hey Alora," Jane greeted her, covering a yawn with one hand. "She's in the dining room. Said something about jet lag and not being tired." Jane shook her head and ran a hand through her mousy, jet-black hair.

"Jane, you need to quit staying up all day," Alora chided the nurse as she headed towards the hallway. "you always know that you're taking over for Joy, but you always stay up. Get some sleep tomorrow!" Alora grinned. Not a lot of people realized it, but the Nurse Joys were the day-shift Pokémon nurses, and the Nurse Janes were the overnight Pokecenter nurses. Of course, Telchakka's Nurse Jane liked having long days, and was always sleepy when she came in to work every night.

Alora tried as best she could to look around the boxes she was carrying, but they were heavy. And big. And clumsy. With a lurch in her stomach, Alora suddenly realized that the Pokémon were waking up, if the small movements she was feeling were true. Then, suddenly, more han just her stomach lurched. One of the Pokémon must have jumped at the side of the box, because it was suddenly moving, and Alora was moving with it, desperate to keep the box from falling. Unfortunately, she was moving right into a door.

The door flew open as soon as she slammed into it, and she and the boxes tumbled to the ground, eliciting cries of protest from the boxes, and a grunt of frustration from Alora.

"Here she is now," her father's voice boomed annoyedly, and Alora looked up through the hair that had fallen over her eyes to see her parents and Professor Peat talking.

Alora's eyes grew wide. This was an auspicious moment. She had to make a good impression. She took a deep breath and let out a weak, squeaking sound.


	2. An Interview with Destiny

Alora groaned as she watched the boxes fall around her. The complaints of the Pokémon she had dropped rose quickly. Alora rose to a crouch and quickly grabbed the boxes, then set them upright. Someone knelt down beside her. A woman's voice said quietly. "We've got to get them out of there. That may have shattered the heating unit."

Alora had already figured as much and had ripped open one of the two boxes. She had been charged by Manny Quinn, the Moyferar Mail Man, to deliver Pokémon to Professor Peat, but she wouldn't want to do that if the Piketon were injured.

Alora reached into the box to grab the Pokémon out, and was rewarded with a sharp pain in her hand. Alora yelled and yanked her arm back out, but the Pokémon wouldn't let go. Suddenly something green whipped across her face. The force of the blow staggered her, and she felt herself falling over backwards, the Pokémon's fangs still buried in her hand.

Alora lay there for a moment, stunned, then raised her hand and looked at it. And was instantly surprised with how light the thing was. It was a ball of vines, or at least it looked like it. It was big, probably about half of her height, but she could tell that the nucleus of the Pokémon was much smaller, and only looked larger because of the many vines that it had woven around itself as a sort of protective armor. The only thing that she could see of the Pokémon was the mouth that still grasped her right hand, and a pair of beady eyes looking out at her.

Dimly, somewhere else, she registered a flash of red light and a strange "K-Thunk" sound, but Alora didn't really care. She balled up her left fist and slammed it into the Pokémon, right where the eyes were. The thing slid off of her hand, taking skin with it. Alora howled in pain and scrambled backwards, wincing as she put weight on her damaged hand. The creature readied itself for the attack once again, and sent two vines winging their way towards her. Just before the vines reached Alora, there was that strange sound again—"K-Thunk", and the vines dissolved as a beam of red light hit them. The vines that were dissolving into reddish energy and racing towards an unseen exit raced up the body of the Pokémon until it reached the Grass-type's nucleus. It howled in fury as it finally dissolved into a reddish energy, and was sucked a way.

Alora looked up to see a strange woman holding a Pokeball, and panting heavily. "Looks like I got the bloke in time, mate." The woman said in a strange accent. "No harm done, though, no harm." The woman smiled, revealing a set of perfect pearly whites, and stretched out a hand to help Alora to her feet. Alora smiled and started to reach out with her right hand before she thought better of it and held out her left hand.

"I say," the woman said, brushing a strand of her red hair over one ear. "That was a close call. Next time we'll need to be a wee bit more careful." Alora blinked as she realized suddenly that the woman wore a lab jacket. This, then, had to be Professor Peat. "Lucky thing for us that I had their Pokéballs."

"Why," a low, rumbling voice asked menacingly. "Were they out of their Pokéballs to begin with?" Alora glanced over her shoulder to see her foster dad standing there, looking like he was about to explode. He was a short man, probably about five feet tall, and had a perpetual crew cut. Always looking angry, Steven Foster now looked madder than Alora had ever seen him.

As her foster parents, the Fosters had always detested Pokémon, saying that they had left Kanto to get away from the Pokémon Proliferation Problem, and had settled on Fentis because it was so—well, to put it nicely, it was so freaking cold that anyone with sense wouldn't want to come to that country, let alone bring Pokémon along with them.

Alora quietly shrank inside, but her outside demeanor didn't change. She had legally emancipated herself. She didn't have to take orders from them anymore. Then, suddenly, she felt a burning in her right hand. She yelped and tried to pull away, but Professor Peat had a firm grip on her hand.

"D'ya know what'd happen if I let this wound stay like this?" Professor Peat's soothing accent cooed. "It might get infected, what, or something worse." The Professor looked up at Alora's foster parent, and said quietly. "Would you mind putting on a kettle of water? I think Jane will be able to help you with that." Steven Foster nodded stiffly, and stalked out the door. Alora could tell that he was only able to keep himself from yelling because of the Professor.

"What's the water for?" Alora asked nervously. "Do you need to sterilize something?"

Professor Peat's face broke into a smile. "Nothing of the sort, my dear. It's just that where I'm from, it's almost time for me to have a good spot of tea. Come by tomorrow, and we'll have your Pokémon Interview. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to schedule you so late. You must be tired, dear. Get some rest."

"So where are you from, mate?" Professor Peat asked Alora as the younger woman sipped the tea the Professor had given her. They were still in the Pokémon Center Conference Room, and Peat was fiddling with a console in one corner of the room. "Are you from Telchakka?"

Alora glanced down at her and rubbed it slowly, not quite not sure what to say. "I-I don't know if I'm from here or not," she said quietly. Peat glanced over her shoulder at Alora, her eyebrows raised. "It's complicated." Alora took a deep breath, then began. "I don't know where I'm from. I was found on the S.S. Anne, and was handed over to an adoption agency when it made landfall here."

Peat's eyes narrowed slightly. "Fascinating," she said, choosing her words carefully as she turned back to the control pad in front of her. "And have you been living with the Fosters ever since?" Peat was just facing the console in front of her, but wasn't pushing any buttons.

Alora took another sip of her tea, and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. "Yes," she said after a moment. She looked down into the liquid, and felt the cup warming her hands. This, too, she savored. Fentis was a cold land, and whatever sources of heat that could be found were usually appreciated by its natives. "But I always wonder about my parents. My REAL parents."

The Professor turned around, offering an encouraging smile as Alora continued. "What is my mother like?" she said quietly. "What is my father like? What would my life have been like if we had all escaped from that shipwreck?" Alora took a sip of her tea. It was an interesting flavor. The Professor had said that it was jasmine, but that didn't mean much to her.

"I'm sorry," Alora said quietly. "This is an interview for me to get a Pokémon, not a sob session." Alora looked up at the Professor. She was an image of professionalism. Everything from the sharp, pin-stripe dress suit to the way she had her auburn hair pulled back in a bun screamed professionalism.

"Not at all, mate," Peat responded quickly. "What I am doing is getting a feel for you. See who you are, and what your tendencies are. If I think that you're ready for a Pokémon and a journey, I'll give you a list of Pokémon to choose from based on this interview."

Alora blinked. "I thought that I was automatically going to get a Pokémon?" she said, looking up at the Professor.

Peat shook her head. "No, Alora. If I gave a Pokémon to everyone that I interviewed, the International Pokémon League wouldn't have enough Pokémon to give out. I was in Telchakka on my way out of the country, and I had enough time for an interview when you sent your request."

Alora felt fear replace hope for the first time since she had spoken to the Professor. "I—" she paused. "I won't get a Pokémon?" she asked.

Peat smiled. "Alora, you're doing fine. I just need to be sure that the IPL will be satisfied with me giving you a Pokémon."

Alora blinked. "What does the International Pokéleague have to do with this?" she demanded. "I thought that the Pokémon you gave out were from your collection."

Peat sighed. "If I did that, what Pokémon would I study? Each Professor is given a certain number of Pokémon per month to give to new trainers. Some Professors have a first-come, first-serve attitude towards the whole thing, but that's horribly impractical. But we'll come to that in a moment."

Alora blinked again, still trying to come to terms with the fact that there as a chance that she wouldn't get a Pokémon. What if she didn't get a Pokémon? She had gotten herself emancipated! She'd be in all kinds of trouble if she didn't a Pokémon. Taxes, jobs, and a myriad of other things would be required of her!

"You all right, mate?" Peat asked, Sitting down across from Alora. "You don't look so good. We can stop if you're not feeling well."

Alora shook her head. "I-I'm fine, Professor," she said quietly, and forced herself to take another sip of her tea.

The Professor smiled at her. "You're doing great, Alora. Don't worry." the elder woman frowned for a moment, and looked at the ceiling for a moment, trying to remember something. "Ah yes. My next question is quite simple. If you could do anything in your life, what would you do?" She smiled broadly. "I'm talking about anything. Not just a Pokémon Journey. Most Pokémon Trainers find other callings. Some forcibly, some just tire of the life. Don't be afraid to give me the most outlandish answer you've got."

Alora paused for a moment to consider this. What would she want in her wildest dreams? "I'd want to go on a journey," she said quietly. "I don't care if it has Pokémon in it or not. I just want to get out of Fentis and find my family." She sighed. "It's not like I was abandoned as a kid or anything. I somehow survived a shipwreck when I was just a baby. Now I have no idea who my parents are or if I have any living relatives

"If I were able to get you started, where would you go? What would you do?" Peat asked, not missing a beat. Alora could tell that they had moved into the very familiar range for the Pokémon Prof. She was firing off questions without thinking about them. Just how many interviews like this had the woman done?

"I'd travel to Kanto or somewhere and look for my parents." Alora said, brightening. "I'm not sure how, but I have the name of the ship that I was on. If I could somehow get my hands on the crew ledger, then I'd be on my way!"

There was a pause, and The Professor raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't have a Pokémon there with you?" Alora swallowed. For so long she had dreamed of a Pokémon Journey and a journey to find her parents as separate things.

"Er," Alora tried to recover. "I'd be doing this while I'm training my Pokémon," she said hesitantly. "You know, try to beat the League and all that." Alora swallowed. Hopefully that mistake wouldn't cost her a Pokémon. Becoming a Pokémon Trainer was her ticket out of Fentis. If she could make it out, then she could find her family. She was sure of it.

Alora sighed and brushed a bang of hair back over her shoulder. How long had she dreamed of getting out of Fentis? She had never thought that it would actually happen. And here was Peat, interviewing her. If all went well, she'd get a Pokémon from the Professor afterwards. Maybe a Rattata or a Nidoran if she was lucky.

Peat rose and looked out the window, watching the clouds dance gracefully across the sky. There was a long moment of silence, then she turned around, and faced the younger woman. "How would you raise money for your journey?" the Pokémon Prof asked.

Alora blinked, confused by the sudden shift in direction. "Um," she stammered. "Uh, w-well, I suppose that I'd defeat other trainers?" To be honest, she hadn't even thought about it.

"Money's not unlimited Alora, and there will always be stronger trainers than you." Peat's eyes narrowed. "And human nature seems to be the strong preying on the weak. What would you do if you ran out of money? What's your backup plan?"

Alora swallowed. Backup plan? Training had been her plan. She hadn't thought out the particulars. "I suppose I'd make some money doing errands or something," Alora replied haltingly.

A shake of the Prof's head, and Alora felt her stomach sink. "Have you seen the cost of training supplies?" the older woman asked. "you might make enough money running errands to survive, but to become a Pokémon Trainer again after you lose all your money you'd need a steady job."

The Professor turned back to Alora, and the prospective trainer felt the elder's gaze burning into her. "Let me make this clear, Alora. The reason why there are only dozens of trainers in the International Pokémon League instead of hundreds or thousands is because most of the trainers simply couldn't cut it. The lost most of their matches, and lost all their money. As a result, they had to abandon Pokémon training. THAT is why so many families have Pokémon as pets. And that's why a Pokémon Center's services are free. Because the IPL rakes in so much money." Peat's eyes flashed. "If I do give you a Pokémon, I'm essentially setting you on a course that has two outcomes. Either success and great riches or failure and destitution."

Alora swallowed hard, and tried to calm her stampeding thoughts in the silence that followed Peat's tirade. How smart exactly was Pokémon training? Yeah, it'd be fun, but what if she didn't make the cut. She'd have no money, and she'd have to start out from scratch. She probably wouldn't even have much starting money.

"Where will you sleep at night?" Peat cut into her thoughts. "And don't say Pokémon Centers. You'll probably only sleep there ten percent of the time. The other ninety, you'll be traveling to somewhere or out in the wilderness on a training expedition." Alora blinked. She hadn't really thought of that either. She had imagined just doing daywalks between towns. But the towns in most countries were farther apart than that, weren't they? "And don't say take a bus or something. Because Trainers don't take busses."

Alora swallowed, and Peat sighed. "Do you see where I'm going with this, Alora? Pokémon Training requires money. Lots of it, too. Skill is important, but I've seen hundreds of trainers go bankrupt and have to give up Pokémon Training because of it. They had to eat. To eat they needed money. But their money was spent on Pokémon Supplies to help them win battles. But if they didn't spend their money on Pokémon Supplies, they wouldn't win battles. And if they didn't win battles, they had no source of income." The Professor smiled kindly. "Don't you think it's better if you just give up on Pokémon Training? I mean, do you want to end up wandering around somewhere, penniless, your credit ruined, and no way out of the hole?"

Alora blinked. She had always imagined Pokémon training was a fun, whimsical adventure where she always had enough to eat and supplies to fight and train. The cold shower of reality sure did put a damper on things. But she'd be out, wouldn't she? Her Pokémon could be her friends. She'd see the world—or at least a tiny part of it.

Alora set her jaw and looked up at Peat. "I'm willing to give it a try, Professor." Alora swallowed, wondering nervously how many more questions she'd have to answer in the interview. The whole thing had drained her of energy.

The Professor sighed. "Why?" she asked.

Alora blinked. "Pardon me?"

"Why are you so willing to go through with this? You're probably going to fail. Over eighty percent of trainers abandon their journey in the first year, you know." Peat snapped at her.

Alora blinked again and held a hand to her forehead. She had been on such a rollercoaster of emotions. Hope. Fear. Elation. The professor jumped from one to the other so quickly it was hard to keep track. All the while seemingly trying to discourage her from going on her journey.

"Is it the excitement of traveling on your own?" Peat sliced through her thoughts. Alora felt like she was in a freefall. She had had so many emotions and so much information that she wasn't quite sure what she should be thinking, feeling, or saying. And the Prof wasn't helping at all. She was staring at Alora so intensely. Almost a glare, but not quite. "Because what happens if you get injured out there? Get stuck somewhere? 'Cause trust me. The places that REAL trainers go to aren't on any piddling route. They're out there in the middle of forests, deserts, mountain ranges, valleys, and yes, glaciers," the Prof said, gesturing out the window. "And it is very dangerous. Pokémon attack you, you might injure yourself in a fall or something—it isn't anything glamorous like the movies make it seem." Alora held her head. She needed Tylenol or something. "Why is it that you're leaving on your journey?"

Peat's last question cut through the questions and answers swirling around in Alora's head. Past the part of her that was too tired to think straight. Why did Alora want to go on a journey? That was the integral question that she had asked herself every day since she was very little.

And she had her answer ready. Without missing a beat, Alora replied. "I want to go on a journey because I want to find out about my past. I want to know more about my parents. I want to meet the rest of my family out there, if there are any left. I want to find them, and let them know that I'm still alive. That I didn't die in that shipwreck. I don't know who I was or who my parents were, or even where to start looking for my family, but I'll find them. Somehow."

The Pokémon Prof's expression changed from harshly critical to one of smug satisfaction. "I wasn't expecting an answer like that. Mr. Foster told me that you were an orphan, rescued from a shipwreck. I wasn't expecting an answer like that, though." Alora blinked as the Prof continued. "But I was hoping to hear something original. And I wasn't disappointed. To borrow a line from a movie—'forget the rowboat, kid. You'll travel in style.'"

Alora blinked. The moment of clarity had passed, and she was once again fighting the jumbled mess of thoughts in her mind to make sense of what the Professor was saying. "Huh?" she managed.

"What would you say to a Pokémon League Apprenticeship? You'll be paired with a Pokémon League Trainer. They'll be your teacher. You'll have to come up with your own funding, but they'll show you the ins and outs of being a Pokémon Trainer, help you pick out supplies, and help with battle strategies." Peat grinned. "You interested."

Alora shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs that kept springing up. "Why me?" she managed to get out.

"Because you come highly recommended by Mr. Quinn." Peat replied dismissively, as if that was all that needed to be said.

Alora sank back in her chair, thoroughly confused. How did Manny fit into all of this? Why would he choose her?

Peat's soft voice interrupted Alora's thoughts. "He saw something in you. And he's a pretty fair judge of potential. After all, he WAS the Johto League Champion at one point."

Alora started. "Manny?" she demanded. "Wow," she said, relaxing. "Manny was a Champion."

The Pokémon Prof grinned. "So what do you say. You interested in becoming a Pokémon Apprentice?"

Alora stumbled into the Pokémon Center's lobby, still confused. Peat had told her that she and Alora would fly to Kanto the next day. Steve, her foster father, had reluctantly agreed to let her go. Like she would have cared now that she was emancipated, but it was appreciated. She'd start training as soon as her Pokémon Master arrived, and then…then she had no idea.

"So how'd it go?" a familiar voice asked her. Alora looked up to see Manny sprawled across one of the Pokémon Center's couches. Alora blinked. She no longer saw him as the balding, eccentric, middle-aged man that she had always thought him to be. If he really HAD been the Johto League Champion, then were the rumors about him being former CEO of some major company true too? "She wasn't too rough on you, was she?"

Alora shook her head, still confused. "No, she wasn't. I'm gonna be a Pokémon Apprentice."

Manny grinned at her. "That's great!" he exclaimed. "What country will you be heading to first?"

"I wanted to go to the Orange Islands, but Peat didn't think that was a good idea. Too warm for me, she said. She suggested Johto." Alora replied, tossing a significant look his way.

Manny caught it, and grinned wryly, raising a finger to his lips. "A lot of great trainers made their start in Johto, Alora. You could be the next one." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out an envelope. "I know how tight things are over at the Fosters, so I took the liberty of pulling some money out of—pulling some money out. I want you to have it." He held an envelope that bulged conspicuously out towards her, and she hesitatingly took the money.

"You better get moving," he said, getting up from the couch. "You've gotta pack your stuff. It's already noon, and you've gotta be out of here by tomorrow. Think you can pack up by then?"

Alora's head was still swimming, but then it hit her. She was leaving Fentis behind. Maybe for good. She had lived all of her life here. It hadn't all been good, but it had all been here. She wouldn't be able to take all of her stuff with her. What would she leave behind? What would she do with everything? What parts of her life wouldn't she be able to bring with her? "I-I-I better go," she stuttered, staggering towards the door. "I-I guess I do need to pack."

Manny watched her put her jacket, gloves, and hat on and once Alora was out the door, he smiled. Quietly, he murmured to himself. "Good luck, Alora. You'll do fine out there. You're my brother's daughter. It's in your blood."

He turned around as Professor Peat came into the Pokémon Center's lobby. "Well, I did what you said, Mr. Quinn. I'll take her as far as Johto, and then she'll be in the hands of her Pokémon Master. I got her started. Are we even now?"

Manny smiled, and extended a hand to the Pokémon Prof. "I think that I owe you one this time," he said. "I really appreciate this. I know that this sort of thing is highly irregular."

"Forget it," Peat said dismissively, grasping Manny's hand. "Mr. Quinn, pretty much anyone in the JPL would do anything for you. You know that, don't you?"

Manny sighed. "I know. That's why I had to leave."


	3. Winters are past, Winters is Present

Alora looked in the mirror, shaking her head slowly. She could not believe that she was here. That she was ACTUALLY here. Indigo Plateau was a dream of hers for a long time, but she was finally here. Sure, she wasn't here as a trainer, but she was here to BECOME a trainer. She grinned as she stretched. Today was the day.

She had hoped for this for oh, so many years. Not that she had thought that it would happen. But here she was, emancipated from her foster parents, whisked away to Kanto to get a Pokemon and a license, and soon, she would be on her way to find her parents. And, well, the whole Pokemon Gym Challenge thing too.

Alora looked at herself, and inwardly shrank. She had always been bullied when she had gone to the school in Telchakka because of her height. She had been an early bloomer, and had quickly shot up past the rest of her class. Now she was several inches over six feet tall, and still wasn't entirely confident about it.

Her brown eyes stared worriedly back at her as she ran a comb through her rusty brown hair. What would happen if she couldn't make the cut? Should she cut her hair? Were trainers supposed to have long hair or short hair? What if she just didn't cut it as a trainer? She'd be broke, and she'd not only have to feed herself, but her Pokemon as well.

She swallowed, and closed her eyes. She needed ice cream. A nice, big tub of cookie dough ice cream. That would calm her down. It always did. But she didn't have time. Her Pokemon Master was about to arrive to take her to Orientation.

Her eyes flicked back to the mirror. The first thing she had done upon arriving in Indigo Plateau was go shopping for new clothes. It was so warm here, she couldn't stand it. She had settled on a nice, red T-shirt with the logo for what she assumed was a baseball team called the Goldeen on it. She knew nothing about sports, except for hockey, ice skating, and a little curling, but nothing that they'd play in League Countries. She had also picked out a plain white skirt, and a pair of hiking boots. She had known as soon as she had stepped off the plane that her giant snow boots were out of the question—she had nearly flambéed her feet before she had finally gotten to the shoe store.

Was this how kids dressed around here? Back home, it was usually a sweater and warm pants. But she was thousands of miles away from home, now. What were the styles here? What if she made some massive cultural faux pa? What if her Pokemon Master didn't like her? What if she—

Her thoughts were cut off by a sudden banging on the door. Alora swallowed and hurried to open it. A woman was standing there, going over a sheaf of papers in her hands. The woman was much smaller than Alora. Probably about five and a half feet tall. She wore her long, strangely white hair in a ponytail over one shoulder, almost reaching down to her waist.

The woman looked up at Alora, pushing the glasses she wore up her nose, and scrutinized Alora critically. "Huh." She said, before brushing past Alora into the room. "I was half expecting a runny-nosed thirteen-year old for my first Apprentice," she said dismissively as she got to the center of the room and looked around.

Alora turned to face the woman, whose blue eyes were scanning everything. Taking in every detail. Finally she turned to face Alora. "My name is Lorelei Belle Winters, and I'll be your Pokemon Master." She held up the thick sheaf of papers she carried. "I've got a few things to go over before we move further."

Alora blinked. "Um, I'm—" she began

"Alora Sares Anophis, age sixteen, from Telchakka, Fentis. You chose your name yourself when you were five, you're an orphan, been living with foster parents since you were discovered in a shipwreck, and recently emancipated yourself," Lorelei read from a piece of paper. She glanced up at Alora. "Congrats on that, by the way. I have no idea what it would be like to live with a foster family, but I'd sure rather be on my own." She looked down at the paper. "Let's see, Primary schooling is complete, you've done some more advanced classes through mail classes, and you want to be a Pokemon Master." Lorelei looked up at Alora. "Did I leave anything out?"

Alora blinked. That was her life in a nutshell. "Um," she said. "Not really."

Lorelei grinned. "Good. On to business, then." She extended her hand. "I'm Lorelei Belle Winters, twenty. I was born in Fogh, Alto. My parents pretty much run the Kanto Devon Company, but we're…a bit estranged. Haven't talked in years. The Azalea Town Gym Leader, Bugsy, is my boyfriend—trust me, long story there, and you probably wouldn't believe it—and I've recently completed the Kanto Gym Challenge, the Johto Gym Challenge, and the Orange Island Gym Challenge." Lorelei smiled. "Now that we know each other, there's the matter of getting you signed up for the International Pokemon League."

Alora brightened. "Great. So do I sign a back of a card and go pick out a Pokemon, then?" she asked.

Lorelei laughed harshly. "That's too much TV you're watching, Anophis. We've gotta fill out this paperwork," she said as she waved the two-inch thick stack of paper under Alora's nose. She must have seen the expression on Alora's face because she laughed. "Don't worry, most of it's filled out."

"Um," Alora said. "If we're going to be filling all this out, won't I miss Orientation?" she asked nervously, tugging at her T-shirt.

Lorelei grinned. "That thing is boring. I've been to it a half dozen times. I can fill you in on what you need to know in half the time, and we can get this stupid paperwork done while I do it. Two Falkners with one Pidgey."

Alora blinked. "I don't think I've heard that before."

Lorelei grinned. "I know. I made it up. I have been waiting forever to use it." Lorelei gestured towards the table in the room. "Shall we get this freaking paperwork out of the way?" she asked.

Alora nodded slowly. "Uh, sure."

Lorelei grinned. "Great. First thing you need to know—you don't pay any taxes to Fentis anymore. The IPL takes care of it," she said as she dropped the stack onto the table and sat down. "You do need to pay dues to the IPL though, otherwise you have to pay dues AND taxes. Second, once you get your Trainer Card, that'll be your passport to any IPL country. Just show the card and you'll be able to get in. You'll still need a regular passport to get into non-IPL countries." Lorelei glanced through the top several pieces of paper, then up at Alora. "You have no idea how much paper you saved by emancipating yourself. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

"And that's it!" Lorelei announced as Alora finished signing the last piece of paper. The Pokemon Master glanced at her watch. "and the other suckers are halfway through Orientation. Come on, it's time for your training to start."

Alora blinked. "MY training?" she asked. "What about the Pokemon?"

Lorelei snorted derisively. "Trust me. You need training. You may be the most in-shape person in the world, which you're probably not—no offense, but you'll still need training. Come on, there's a carnival going on today. We'll start your training there."

Alora blinked. "What?" she asked to Lorelei's back as the Master headed for the door.

"I feel stupid," Alora grumbled.

"Why do you feel stupid?" Lorelei demanded. "This is an essential part of your training!"

Alora glared at Lorelei. "Because we're twice the height of the kids that had been in line ahead of us, and you just bought the Dunk Tank for two hours!" Alora glanced around. Lorelei had dragged her right into a carnival, and had dragged her right to the dunk tank. The pair were getting strange looks from passersby, and Alora watched as the carnie that had been selling tickets for the dunk tank was now shooing people away.

Lorelei sighed. "You won't care about height when you're trying to catch a Pokemon and every ball you throw misses. Now I want you to take this ball," she picked up a white, rubber ball and jammed it into Lorelei's hand. "And hit the target."

Alora took a deep breath and threw the ball at the target, but accidentally hit the man sitting on the dunk tank chair. "You throw like a girl," Lorelei growled at Alora under her breath. "Sorry!" she called to the man, who muttered under his breath. Lorelei picked up another ball. "You're gonna need to continue the motion in your arm when you throw," Lorelei said, winding up and extending her arm like a baseball pitcher. She stopped when her arm was extended straight out towards the target. "Make sure that when you get to this point, your arm is pointed towards the target. You're try to hit the target to make the guy fall into the dunk tank. Not knock him out and make him fall in."

Alora swallowed and hefted a ball. She wound up and threw the ball. It soared over the target and continued going on somewhere behind the dunk tank. Lorelei slammed the heel of her hand into her forehead. "This is going to take a while," she heard her say.

Two hours and five carnies later, they were done. "I wasn't trying to hit them!" Alora protested as she tried to follow her Pokemon Master. Lorelei just shook her head as she walked out of the carnival.

Lorelei shook her head. "It's all right, Alora. You improved a lot in those two hours. I doubt that this carnival will let you practice, but you did pretty good. I doubt that you'll be catching any Pokemon anytime soon with that arm of yours, but all in all, you did pretty good. I'll find some other way for you to practice. We can go back there when you're able to avoid injuring the carnies."

Alora shrank inwardly. "I said I was sorry for that!" she protested.

Lorelei grinned. "It's all right, Alora. They pretty much expect it when Pokemon Masters bring their apprentices there. Kind of an IPL Master tradition."

Alora looked around. This was Indigo Plateau. She hadn't expected to see it for years. And here she was. Surrounded by skyscrapers. Walking down a sidewalk. In Indigo Plateau. Lorelei smiled, and tears came to her eyes. She was actually here. She was actually living the dream. She was—Lorelei's poking finger pulled her from her thoughts. "Hey, sleeping beauty. We're here." Lorelei glanced around. The Skyscrapers still reached up all around her. Lorelei was tugging at her hand. "Let's go!"

Alora glanced up before they went inside and caught the name proudly emblazoned above the doors. Devon Company. "I thought you and your parents were estranged?" she asked hesitatingly.

Lorelei grinned back at her. "They are. But me and my brother get along just fine. He's head of Pokemon Research right now. My parents live in Viridian." Alora glanced around. The lobby was huge. Bigger than any house back in Telchakka. The ceiling was at least two stories up, with crystal chandeliers hanging down. The marble floor felt a little bit slipper under her boots, and the limestone pillars holding up the ceiling gave the whole place a slightly monastic feeling.

Alora glanced around, and saw that Lorelei had breezed across the massive lobby and was talking to someone at a desk at the far side. With a last glance out the glass front of the building, she ran forward to catch up with Lorelei.

"Yes, Ma'am. Brandon is expecting you. You know the way up, don't you?" the receptionist asked, smiling up at Lorelei.

Lorelei nodded. "Yup. Let's go, Alora!" she said, heading for an elevator right next to the desk. Alora smiled weakly at the receptionist and hurried after Lorelei.


	4. Indigo Plateau at Twilight Intermission

There was a question about Brandon, and the ownership of Devon Corp.

The simple answer is: This is a DIFFERENT Brandon.

And he's not the owner, nor the son of Elm. He's the sister of Lorelei

1111111111111111111111111111111111

Alora fidgeted as she waited. She didn't mind waiting, but this almost transcended waiting. She was on an elevator in Indigo Plateau, going up to see the National director of the Devon Company's Kanto Pokémon Research division. Lorelei had told her that they were going up to see him to get their briefing before she got her Pokémon. Lorelei wasn't quite sure WHY she needed a briefing, but in the few hours that she had known her new Pokémon Master, she had learned better than to ask questions that would be explained to her later.

Alora glanced around the elevator. It was a lot nicer than she was used to. They were traveling up the side of the building, and the glass exterior of the elevator afforded them an eagle's eye view of the Indigo Plateau. Alora took another step towards the glass, and pressed her face against it, enjoying the spectacle.

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, and the warm orange glow seemed to soften the lines of the skyscrapers that rose up all around them. The Indigo League's towns were all named after different colors, and suddenly Alora could see why. Mount Moon, off in the distance, and it seemed to have been painted a deep shade of purple. To the south, she could just see where the treeline fell away, and the ocean began. The shoreline and the massive beach that Kanto's southern shore was famous for seemed to glow a golden color, in sharp contrast to the vivid hues of green and brown that was the Viridian Forest. Alora imagined that far off on the horizon, she could barely see the tip of Mount cinnabar, but she was pretty sure that she was mistaken. Alora glanced to the North, and saw the foothills of the Tinted Mountains, the border that separated the nation of Tintia from the rest of the world.

The Tinted Mountains were said to glow with every color imaginable at sunrise and sunset. Lorelei had told her that they were also extremely dangerous, and only Elite-class trainers or higher dared to travel to the mountains because of the dangerous Pokémon. Beyond the mountains was the country of Tintia, a country that even she in Fentis had heard about.

The Tintians didn't like outsiders, and kept to themselves. They were said to be a savage, warrior people. They used to raid the surrounding countries until they were finally pushed back. Now the Tintians were content to sit in their self-imposed quarantine. Nobody knew what they were doing in there, but then, few dared to try to enter the country. Those that did were politely but firmly rebuffed.

According to the stories that abounded, the Tintia was a refuge for Pokémon of all types. According to some stories, the Tintians protected the Pokémon from trainers, and all manner of Pokémon that had long ago gone extinct were thriving in Tintia. Alora could only imagine what it would be like to someday visit the country.

Of course, there were also the stories about Tintia's armies. They were said to be incredibly powerful, and in great numbers. The stories of Tintian foretresses were legendary. Some people said that lost Pokémon or humans that managed to stumble into Tintia were never seen again, and were probably given to the army's Pokémon as food.

Alora shivered. There were certainly no shortage of stories about Tintia, that was for certain. Whether it was the untouched Shangri La or the horrific martial state was a subject of hot debate, but nobody dared to enter Tintia except for Tintians.

Alora closed her eyes and forced herself to think of better and brighter things. She opened her eyes again and looked at Indigo Plateau. Lights were just beginning to come on as the sun's last rays danced over the red brick roofs of the homes of those Kantans that were lucky enough to live in the suburbs that surrounded the Indigo Plateau.

Alora glanced over at Lorelei, who was leaning against one side of the elevator, staring at the digital floor indicator over the door of the elevator, ignoring the beauty outside. She wasn't quite sure what to think of her new Master. They had only met a few hours before. She seemed to be aloof, and seemed to do things her own way. Alora looked down at the floor. She wasn't entirely sure if she liked Lorelei. Lorelei kept pushing Alora, and didn't seem to really care what Alora thought. About anything.

Alora sighed. Well, whatever. She'd stick it out. Because if she did, she'd become a member of the International Pokémon League. She had never dreamed that she'd get into something so prestigious, but here she was.

The elevator dinged, and Alora looked up at the floor indicator. The hundredth floor. Definitely a long way from the lobby. "'bout time," Lorelei growled, and hurried through the doors before they were halfway open. Alora cast one, longing look at the sight behind her, and hurried after her Pokémon Master.

They were on the roof of the skyscraper, Alora noticed. A slightly cool breeze was blowing, and Alora closed her eyes, enjoying the slight coldness of the breeze. It had been too warm all around ever since she'd left Fentis, and it was good to get at least a small taste of her old country back. She breathed in deeply. The air smelled faintly of the ocean far to the South.

Alora sighed, listening to the sounds of the city waking up for the night. The doors behind her whispered closed, and she heard the elevator whirring down, down, down to the lobby, so far below. Cars were honking down there, and she could faintly hear the sounds of a rather rambunctious-sounding Pokémon battle.

Alora raised her face to the sky, letting the wind whisper over her. She had done it. She was here. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and she saw the first of the evening stars appearing. Alora drank in the moment, willing it to last forever, grateful to Lorelei for leaving her alone.

Slowly, she brought her gaze down, and saw Lorelei engaged in a heated discussion with a man in a pinstripe suit. Alora decided to avoid them, and enjoy the moment for a while longer. She melted into the shadows and walked slowly towards the railing. She looked out, and realized with a start that she was at the highest point of the Indigo Plateau.

She had reached the railing, and was walking along it, towards the West, enjoying the breeze ruffling her hair. She was glad that she had decided to change into her formal wear. The slinky silk dress that she had bought seemed to catch the breeze and linger in mid-air. Her long hair, which was normally in a ponytail, was down tonight, and her rusty, shoulder-length hair was blowing back behind her in the chilly Eastern wind.

Alora let her eyes wander over Tohjo Falls, far to the West. According to the guide books, they were the border between Johto and Kanto. They were said to be treacherous, and few but the most determined trainers bothered to travel between Johto and Kanto. The rest took the world-famous Magnet Light-rail system. But as Alora was standing there, literally on top of the world, there seemed to be a quaint, romantic quality about the idea of actually traversing the dangerous waterfall system that was at least a mile long, and a half-mile wide. Someday, she promised herself, she'd find the treacherous path through the waterfalls.

But she would have plenty of time for that. She was a Pokémon Trainer now, or soon would be. She would experience all of it. In that moment, Alora admitted to herself that she was becoming enthralled by the idea of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, instead of thinking about it as a means to an end. Alora breathed in, smiling to herself, and looked up at the stars, twinkling up there in the sky. They were so beautiful, and the moon was so bright.

Something drifted over the moon, then just as quickly disappeared. Alora's eyes brightened. Maybe it was a Pokémon! What kind of Pokémon was it? Would she get one someday? The stars in the sky were obliterated, then, and just as suddenly reappearing. Alora realized that it had to be a Pokémon, flying low, to cover so many stars at once.

A gentle whooshing sound reached her ears, and suddenly the Pokémon was low enough that the lights of the city illuminated its underside. The massive chest and the underside of the wings were a creamy brown. The avian's wings stretched out and caught the wind, and suddenly the Pokémon was soaring into the sky once more, lost to the depths of the night.

There was someone riding on its back! Alora realized with a start. Whoever it was certainly had a flair for the dramatic, because she could see from the figure's outline that whoever it was was actually standing upright on the massive Pokémon's back, and was wearing a cape that seemed to stand straight out behind the person.

The Pokémon flew down again, directly in front of Alora. The bird Pokémon was gorgeous. Its massive wings beat once against the air, then soared through the air. Alora could see that the tan feathers that covered the Pokémon's bottom also touched the last half of the wings, as if the Pokémon had been dipped in some wondrous paint and had used its wings to push itself out. The top of the Pokémon, Lorelei saw now, was a much richer brown that reminded her of the expensive, wooden furniture that she had once seen in the Telchakka's mayoral offices. The Pokémon had a long crest that looked more like several long strands of fur than feathers. The same rich tones as the rest of the Pokémon were there, as well as a deep red that Alora could now see on the underside of the Pokémon's tailfeathers as it turned away, darting between the skyscrapers deftly, its trainer standing confidently on its back, not perturbed by any of the bird's movements in the slightest.

The pair came around again, and Alora focused this time on the trainer. He was short, but he was easily twice her age. His shaggy, black hair streamed behind him in the wind, reigned in only slightly by band of the aviator's goggles that he wore. The plain, bright red jumpsuit stood out sharply against the city's buildings, and his purple cape stretched out behind him. Her heart skipped a beat as he blew a kiss to her as he soared past.

Someday, Alora promised herself as the man smoothly dropped down to a sitting position as the giant bird rose up and clawed for altitude, she'd be just like him, and stand confidently on her own bird. Alora watched as the bird leveled out far above her, and seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then the giant avian had folded its wings and hurtled for her. The man had leaped back up, and was standing upright. But now Alora could see that he had a rope tied around the bird's neck that he was holding onto for support. The bird was coming, faster and faster, but Alora, awestruck by the sight, found herself unable to move.

Then, suddenly, the giant wings unfolded themselves, and pushed downwards. The giant bird slowed, and the rider leaped off, landing in a crouch next to Alora. The giant bird, meanwhile, kept flying, eventually disappearing into the night.

The man slowly rose to his feet, and dusted off his jumpsuit. "Lovely night," he commented. Alora could only stare at him. What a strange Kanto was. Were all the IPL countries like this, she wondered. He turned to her, a grin spread across his features. He held out a hand. "James Travis Falkner," he said. "I'm a Pokémon Master with the Alto delegation. My son's a Gym Leader in Johto."

Alora blinked. Falkner. She remembered the name faintly. Lorelei had mentioned something about a Falkner when she had been rambling on about her boyfriend. "Alora Anophis," she managed, not quite what to say to someone who was obviously an extraordinary trainer. "I'm from Fentis."

That made an eyebrow raise. "Really?" he asked, his brown eyes suddenly giving her a quick once over. "Now I recognize the name," he said, turning to look out over the Indigo Plateau, now fully lit up. His grin had been replaced with a thoughtful expression. "So I suppose that you're the new Apprentice, then?" he asked quietly.

Alora nodded. "Yeah, that'd be me," she said. She looked up at the sky. It was so bright around here. She could barely see any stars. That was definitely something that she missed about Telchakka.

"Would it interest you to know," Falkner said quietly. "That you're the first Fentis Apprentice in the history of the International Pokémon League?" Alora started, and turned to him, expecting to see the playful grin that he had had astride his bird. Instead he was still staring out, deadly serious. Slowly, he turned to face her. "Alora, I don't envy you. You're going to be one of the media darlings of this year's batch. There's usually not a whole lot of novelty at these things usually. You'll prove to be the exception to the rule." Alora swallowed, and suddenly the warm feeling that she had had mere moments before was gone, dashed by a solid dose of reality.

She had known that Fentis was a backwater, she hadn't realized just how much of one it really was. It had been inducted into the International League over one hundred years before. In one hundred years, there had never been a single Fentis Apprentice?

Alora closed her eyes. No. She didn't want this. All she wanted was a Pokémon, and to find her family. She didn't want to be famous. She had wanted to live out her life quietly, never really getting noticed. This wasn't how it was supposed to go at all. She reached out and grabbed hold of the guard rail as her legs suddenly felt like they were turning into jelly. "Thanks," she managed to get out.

"Can I have your attention, everyone?" a sharp, commanding voice cut through the night air. "If you'll gather over here, we'll introduce Masters to Apprentices and get you guys ready to head to the Indigo Mansion for the ceremony."

Alora took a deep breath. She could do this. She could do this. There was only one little ceremony, and her face would be plastered all over newspapers, magazines, and news shows all over the world. Alora suddenly couldn't breathe, and felt herself falling. She felt four hands grab her. "Easy, Alora," came Lorelei's voice in her ear in a soothing tone that seemed completely out of character for her. "Falkner, let's get her to a seat."

Alora opened her eyes, but suddenly the stars that were shining overhead weren't beautiful. Each one seemed like the flash of a reporter's camera. Each picture would be put somewhere, and millions of people would see her, and judge her. And just like everyone else in her life had, they'd dismiss her out of hand. They'd realize that she wouldn't be able to live up to their expectations, and everybody that she ran into would revile her.

Dimly, she realized that she was hyperventilating, but she was too caught up in her thoughts to recognize it. Dimly, she heard Lorelei talking to her. She hadn't even thought of it before. Tomorrow she'd be front page news. That final thought pushed her over the edge. She let go of the dream that had quickly become a nightmare, and let the blackness envelop her in its soothing bliss of nothingness.

"What did you say to her?" Alora heard a voice snap angrily. Alora opened her eyes, to see half a dozen people staring worriedly down at her. Alora grimaced and sat up, a hand reaching around to the back of her head. It felt like it was going to explode.

"She's awake!" someone said in a clipped accent. Alora closed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened. Then, she remembered. She was going to have to not only be on TV, she was going to be famous. Why did she have to be the first Pokémon Apprentice from Fentis? She didn't want cameras, or lights, or money.

"Take it easy," a voice spoke in her ear softly as a pair of hands grabbed her from behind. Alora grimaced, and turned to see Lorelei looking at her worriedly. "Are you okay?" the Pokémon Master asked.

Alora glanced over her body. She had gotten a few scrapes from falling down, but she was fine. "I think so," she said, gathering her knees underneath her and pushing herself to her feet. Her body ached, but she was probably okay. But her dress wasn't. The glamorous silk that had attracted her in the first place was now smudged with dirt.

"Clear out!" Lorelei's voice snapped. "Give her some room, fellas!" a voice snapped, and Alora looked up to see Lorelei pushing people backwards from her. Alora looked back down at her dress. She hadn't been in any shape to be in front of cameras before, and she certainly wasn't in that kind of shape now.

The man in the pinstripe suit that Lorelei had been talking to earlier pushed his way through the crowd. "Are you okay, Alora?" he asked, offering a hand to her. Alora tried to smile as she took his hand and got to her feet. He looked down at her worriedly. "Anything wrong?" his blue eyes roamed her body worriedly, looking for injuries.

"I'm fine, I think," Alora said quietly, closing her eyes. She was going to be famous. SHE was going to be famous. Why did she have to be famous? "I just need to sit down for a little while."

The man smiled gently as he passed one of her arms over his shoulders. "Let's go to my office. Lorelei, let's go. The rest of you, head to the Mansion. We'll follow along later." Alora closed her eyes and grimaced, and instantly she felt Lorelei grabbing her other arm and putting it over the Master's shoulders.

"You sure that you're all right?" Lorelei demanded, keeping a close eye on Alora.

Alora didn't answer for a moment. Was she fine? She had just found out that she was going to be on international TV, and Lorelei was asking if she was fine? Why didn't someone just paint her bright pink and give her something that would make her grow another six feet? "I'm fine." Alora replied.

"Here," Lorelei said, handing Alora a cup on a saucer. "Drink this." Alora took the cup gratefully. The Pokémon Master straightened. "Now, are you feeling better?" Alora took a sip of the drink, and found it to be jasmine tea.

Alora smiled gratefully and took another sip. "I'm fine," she replied quietly. She stared down into the teacup, admiring the fine china, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. They were all wondering what was wrong, but she was too ashamed to say anything.

They were all famous. They dealt with being famous every day. They had had to, for quite a long time now. And then here she was, fainting at the very thought of being famous. Alora sighed, and closed her eyes.

"It's all right," Lorelei said quietly. "Whatever Falkner said to you, I'll personally make sure he's punished for it." Alora closed her eyes even tighter. She wanted to scream. Falkner hadn't done anything. It was all her fault! But somehow, she couldn't find the strength to say anything.

She heard Lorelei straighten beside her. "Brandon, where is Falkner? You said that he'd be coming straight here."

The wind hit Alora before anything else. She hadn't realized it at first, but they were on the roof of the building.

The doors dinged open, and Alora got her first glimpse of her future. The room before her certainly didn't look like any laboratory she had seen or imagined. The floors were lined with dark brown, plush carpet, and the lush cedar walls were lined with intricate tapestries of Legendary Pokémon.

In the center of the room, a round podium stood, and on top of the podium sat thirteen gleaming Pokéballs. They were all a variation of different colors, and each Pokéball was different. For a moment, Alora couldn't take her eyes off the Pokéballs, but she was brought back to the present by Lorelei grabbing onto Alora's arm and pulling her forward. "Come on," Lorelei hissed in her ear. "You're embarrassing me."

It was only then that Alora noticed the other people in the room. She wasn't sure how many there were, but there were quite a few of them. Lorelei immediately abandoned her and disappeared into the crowd. Alora blinked and shrank back. She was no good in social situations. She had always been by herself. She just didn't know what to do.

That didn't stop everyone else, however. Within seconds, two girls had appeared out of the crowd to welcome her. One was a redhead, but the other had jet-black hair.

The redhead grinned from ear to ear. "Hey!" she said, sticking out a perfectly manicured hand. "My name is Jessica." She flashed a perfect set of teeth, and laughed. "I'm from Goldenrod, and I'm going to be a Pokémon Master!" she flipped her long, curly hair over one shoulder, and glanced at the black-haired girl next to her. "This is my sister, Julie. I can't believe we both got in!"

Alora blinked. At first glance, Jessica looked like just another airhead trainer, with her stylish, designer clothes, perfect hair, and perfect, well, everything, but something about her didn't quite mesh with that stereotype. For one thing, Jessica's blue eyes were flicking over Alora, sizing her up, and seemed to be analyzing every detail about her. For another, her grip was firm and confident, if a bit rambunctious. Alora's gaze lingered on her for a moment, and then flicked to the other girl.

Julie, in contrast to her sister's long, flowing hair, wore her spiky hair short, stuffed under a battered, old fedora. She didn't appear to be wearing any makeup, and was wearing bib overalls over a Pokémon League shirt, with a black vest. The vest was strange, unlike anything Alora had ever seen. There were pockets and what looked like holders everywhere. It looked like Jessica had decided not to wear a backpack and instead keep everything on her vest. Her wide stance and confident grin told Alora that the girl didn't have a lack of confidence.

"Call me Jules," the girl said, holding out her hand. "I'm going along with my sister to keep her out of trouble." Jules' handshake was just as strong, but where Jessica was almost brimming with energy, Jules was calm, reserved, and her single shake was short and to the point. "I didn't see you at Orientation," she said. "Did you get lost?"

Alora paused. "Um, I, ah," she wasn't sure what to say to that. "Well, you see, my Master wanted to take me to the carnival so we could train."

Jules raised an eyebrow, and Jessica laughed. "It's all right, Alora. You don't have to lie to us. We know that the Orientation is boring, but it's an important step. Isn't this exciting? I wonder who my Pokémon Master is going to be!"

Alora blinked. "You mean you haven't met yours yet?" she asked, incredulous.

"They said in Orientation that we'd meet them here," Jules said suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

Alora fidgeted nervously for a second, not sure if by speaking up she'd get Lorelei in trouble or not. She opened her mouth to speak, but a shout from the center of the room drew everyone's attention. Alora heaved a sigh of relief as she shifted her attention to the speaker.

"Thank for coming, everyone," a tall, brown-haired young man said. "My name is Brandon Winters, head of Devon Company's Kanto Pokémon Research Division. It's my honor to welcome you here this year." He wore a three-piece pinstripe suit, and wore a tie that had Pokéballs on it. "I know that you're all eager to get going, but this ceremony has been done every year for the last hundred, so we're not about to stop now. Thank you all for coming and not showing up TOO late. Lorelei, I'm looking at you!" he glared somewhere into the crowd.

From across the crowded room, Alora heard Lorelei snap back. "Blah, blah, blah, get on with it."

Brandon fumed, but continued his speech. "You have been selected from around the world. Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh of course, are the normal trainer countries, and most of you are from those countries. However, we also have a trainer from Nuschantz this year, as well as a trainer from Acquar and Fentis. It is with great pleasure that I, on behalf of all of the International Pokémon League, welcome you today."

Alora glanced around. She had expected everybody to be from Kanto. She hadn't realized that other countries would be represented as well. Brandon continued his speech. "Today we'll introduce you to two partners who will be traveling with you for a long time. First, your Pokémon Master, who will show you the ropes of training Pokémon."

"Go, me!" Lorelei's voice rang out from across the room, causing several people to chuckle.

"Shut UP Lorelei!" Brandon hissed, before composing himself and continuing. "The other, of course, is your starting Pokémon. Now, we could have gone the old route of giving away the standard Starter Pokémon, we decided this year to mix things up a little bit. This year, we have thirteen Pokémon, each a different type. There are the standard water, grass, and fire types, of course, but there are also many other Pokémon types available as well. Choose wisely; since this Pokémon will be with likely be with you for the rest of your life."

Alora swallowed. She didn't even know what types there were, let alone the Pokémon. She didn't know many non-Ice type Pokémon, either. "As a gesture of respect to the countries that we don't have often, we've decided to let the trainers from Acquar, Nuschantz, and Fentis be the first to choose," Brandon announced. "So let's meet them, shall we? Just a request, though—don't open your Pokéball here. Let it be a surprise to each other when you meet on the road. After all, the element of surprise is a very powerful advantage"

Brandon grinned. "For our first trainer this year, we have a trainer from a country that has never had a trainer in the International Pokémon League before. Ladies and gentlemen, from Fentis, I give you Alora Anophis!" he said, jabbing a finger straight at Alora.

Alora blinked, and her cheeks turned bright red as she stepped forward. She managed a slight wave as she approached Brandon. "Um," she said. "I didn't realize that I was the first or anything. I just wanted a Pokémon." She whispered to him when she had managed to make her way through the crowd.

He grinned and clapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. That's all it'll be. Unless my idiot sister does something stupid." He whispered into her ear. He glanced around and began in a louder voice. "And, of course, Alora's Pokémon Master will be none other than Alto's finest, Lorelei Belle Winters, the newest International Pokémon League's Pokémon Master!"

Alora could see Lorelei shoving her way through the crowd. "Great to be here!" she said, grinning. "You promised me food!" she hissed at her brother, before turning back to everybody else. "All my love, really!"

"For once," he snapped back quietly. "Don't make trouble."

Lorelei grinned. "You and I both know that's impossible."

Brandon cleared his throat. "Alora, please choose your Pokémon!"

Alora swallowed and walked up to the podium. There were so many, and so many colors. She had no idea if they corresponded to type or not, but they probably did. But even if she knew the Pokémon types that the balls corresponded to, she had no idea what most of the Pokémon were.

Alora took a deep breath and closed her eyes. If she didn't know what the Pokémon were, she might as well not see the other Pokéballs at all. She stretched out her hand, and brought it down. Her hand closed around a Pokéball, and she lifted it up. She opened her eyes. The Pokéball was colored a shiny silver on the top, and orange on the bottom.

And suddenly, she was a Pokémon trainer.

Dimly, out of the corner of her eye, she heard Brandon announcing the next person. Someone from somewhere, she reflected as she walked back to Lorelei, who gave her an encouraging slap on the back. Whatever was in this Pokéball would be her ticket to whatever relatives she might have out there.

She'd work hard to master whatever Pokémon it was, and together, they'd find her family.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur. She dimly remembered later seeing the other trainers meet their Pokémon Masters and get their Pokéballs, but Alora was too absorbed in her own thoughts to care much. She dimly remembered going back to her room at the Pokémon Center, and lying down for a little while.

The first clear memory she had was of Lorelei bursting in through the door. "Hey, Alora!" she exclaimed as she slammed the door behind her. "Have you checked out your Pokémon yet?"

Alora blinked, and sat up on the bed. "Huh?" she asked, and then glanced down at the Pokéball in her hand. She hadn't even considered letting the Pokémon out yet. Some trainer she was gonna be. "Not really," she said slowly. "Pokéball, go!" She said, throwing the Pokéball into the air.

"Not in here!" Lorelei yelled as it flew through the air. "What if it's an Onix?"

The Pokéball spewed a beam of red light that coalesced into a humanoid form. The red outline of the Pokémon remained still for a moment, and then materialized. The Pokémon glanced around, and honked through its long nose.

"Interesting choice for a starter," Lorelei mused quietly. Alora stared at the Pokémon. She had never seen anything like it. "Makes sense, though."

Alora stared. The humanoid Pokemon stared back the bottom half of the creature's body was covered in brown, almost milk-chocolate-tinted fur. Its top half was covered in a yellowish cream fur. "I got the candy bar Pokémon?" Alora asked. "What's its name? Mars Musketeer?" The Pokémon reached up with one of its three fingered hands and scratched one of its ears, which stood up like a cat. About the only other distinguishing feature of the Pokémon was an almost trunkfish nose that drooped down over the Pokémon's mouth. That explained the honking, Alora thought. She got up off the bed and reached down to scratch the Pokémon's ear for it. It wasn't too tall. Probably only about to her waist.

"Its name is Drowzee," Lorelei explained. "It's a Psychic type. They're generally not as powerful as Kadabra, but the difference is that they've got staying power, and make up for that by being a strong physical trainer as well." Lorelei grinned at Alora. "All in all, a good starting Pokémon."

Alora blinked. "A wowzee isn't as powerful as a candelabra?" she asked, confused. "Sorry, but I'm not all too familiar with most Pokémon. I pretty much only know a few Fire-type Pokémon and most of the Ice-type Pokémon. Doesn't get too warm where I'm from, so most trainers didn't bring other types of Pokemon."

Lorelei groaned. "Great. Now they tell me." She ran a hand over her face, and looked at Alora. "Look, this is your Pokémon. It's called a Drowzee. It's a Psychic type. I'll print out some information on it and go over it with you later. But for now, the little guy needs a name."

Alora nodded, and a smirk spread out across her face. "I have just the right name. Get over here, Snickers!" she said, holding her arms open wide.

Intermission. Intermission. Intermission. Intermission. Intermission

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Intermission 1: The International Pokémon League.

Throughout the story, I'll be taking a break from writing chapters to give you guys information that you will need. For example, since this story will not feature a journey through the canon countries, and only through my own (of varying size) created countries. Some will be the standard, others will be freezing, some will be scorching heat, some won't be on land at all. Before we head out to those countries, I'll give you some basic information here, as well as a wealth of information through the narrative.

But some things in the narrative the characters already know, so I'll just be using Intermissions to give you the information. Much like Dragonfree's Extras. Also, Asterisks (), mean that there is special information about the topic that would not necessarily flow well with the rest of the Intermission. Such information is contained at the end of the Intermission.

Now, the International Pokémon League is a federation of sorts. There are Pokémon Leagues of every shape, color, and climate. Some Leagues rule over their countries, and other Leagues are treated more like sports. Like our NFL, NBA, NHL, etc.

There are many countries in the Pokémon League, and I shall now give you a list of the countries I have so far. Many are canon, many are my own, and there are three countries listed that I would like to include in name only that are pending approval from the authors that created them.

Canon Countries:

Kanto—Indigo League (8 Gyms) Johto—Johto League (8 Gyms) Orre Hoenn (8 Gyms) Sinnoh (8 Gyms) Orange Islands (8 Gyms) Sevii Islands (this is an Elite area of Kanto, and is considered its own Pokémon League, and has 4 Gyms) 

Ash Junior's Created Countries:

Alto (7 Gyms) Neragosh (8 Gyms) Nuschantz—Resort League (10 Gyms) Acquar—Scorching League (5 Gyms) Sintaur—the Equine League (7 Gyms Fentis—Midnight Sun League (2 Gyms) Brenthis—Flotilla League (a country composed of a fleet of ships that moves from one port to the next. Each ship has a different gym, and there are 8 Gym ships—headquarters of Team Aqua. ) Cansynna—Burning League (a country with many volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers, headquarters of Team Magma, 8 Gyms) Theranys—Subterranean League (the entire country is underground, with a few entrances to the surface in various places—12 Gyms) Qinpra—Tundra League (5 Gyms) Piltnaran—Tropical League (9 Gyms) Kitian—Mountain League (the cities are all of high elevation tucked high away in a treacherous Mountain Range, 6 Gyms) Salitron—Submarine League (Salitron is the first country to have cities entirely underwater. Not only that—the entire country is at the bottom of the ocean—5 Gyms) 

Other Authors' countries in the IPL (currently shown without permission, but all have received a request from me to feature them here):

Metone (Topaz) Janera (ObsidianBlade) Ouen (Dragonfree) 

Honorary IPL Members:

Fiore 

Each Pokémon League Country has an equal say in the goings on of the International Pokémon League. Each country (except for Fiore) also hosts the annual Pokémon Month celebration. A huge event starting with the promotion of IPL Trainers to IPL Masters, and the acceptance of new Pokémon Apprentices. A large celebration goes all month, culminating in a week-long Pokémon tournament. The IPL Member countries trade off every year, letting each country have a turn. Each country is allowed to celebrate in their unique fashion, and a day-long parade is usually scheduled right before the tournament kicks off.

To get new members, the IPL recruits Pokémon Trainer hopefuls after an interview, and pairs them with an IPL Pokémon Master to show them the ropes. The Pokémon Master helps the Apprentice with both training their Pokémon and getting ready for the actual journey itself. While the Pokémon Master is supposed to help the Apprentice, they are not allowed to help out in any fights, or lend their Apprentices training supplies or money, as the apprentices are supposed to sink or swim in their own right.

After the Pokémon Masters deem their Apprentices worthy (generally half a League or so), the Apprentices are welcomed into the International Pokémon League as Journeymen.

The only other way to get into the Pokémon League is to defeat at least two IPL Leagues, with full badges. Then it is possible to apply for entrance into the International Pokémon League pending an interview process. If they are accepted, they are inducted as Pokémon Journeymen.

While there are several thousand IPL Journeymen at any one time, there are usually only a hundred or fewer IPL Masters. The Masters are carefully selected from the Journeymen based on experience, badges won and Leagues defeated, personality, and dedication to Pokémon Training.

Note: I included these countries because I am or have been friends with these authors. No additional created countries will be accepted, so please don't post your country's profile in my thread. Also, if the author(s) decide not to let me include them in my list, the said country(ies) will immediately be taken off of this list.

Note: Pokémon Rangers are enforcers of the IPL Rules and Regulations regarding treatment of Wild Pokémon. For this reason, Pokémon Rangers are permitted free travel throughout the IPL countries, and Fiore, while it has no official League and actively discourages Pokémon Trainers from visiting, is an honorary member of the IPL

Note that while it takes two Leagues for the Journeymen to be inducted into the INTERNATIONAL Pokémon League, individual Leagues such as the Indigo League may induct trainers into their ranks after said trainers have reached certain criteria


End file.
